When He Howls A Marauder's Tale
by MoonylooneyLupin
Summary: Remus Lupin enters his 6th Year at Hogwarts, and he knows it's going to be different. A new girl arrives, who's harbouring a darker secret than his own, and soon Remus finds himself befriending Severus Snape, his best friends worst enemy. Is the snivelling Slytherin as bad as they say he was?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One – The Train

Remus flinched as the stick was brought down again.

"Nasty piece of-"

Whack.

"Don't ever think of walking down here again!"

Another punch from the stick, painful and bruising to his thin body. How long was this going to last?

"You're just a useless Werewo-"

Whack.

With a final kick, the boys' footsteps gradually faded, and Remus opened his eyes.

He was crouched up against the lane's brick wall; the stones form the path digging into his skin through his shabby clothes and the trees hung over his head, shading him from the sun. His head ached as though it was being pushed off his head, and his nose felt fuzzy and hot, gradually dripping more and more blood.

He gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position and glanced around, trying to swallow the taste of blood. Remus wiped his mouth, rubbed his eyes, and flecked his hands. The pain tingled still, and the red blotches were starting to colour. He sighed, his chest hurting as he breathed, and grabbing the mossy wall, heaved himself up onto his feet.

The country lane wasn't far from his home, and Remus was suddenly glad that he hadn't taken the long walk near the river. He rolled his shoulders several times before glancing down at his body. His shoes were covered in blood from his dripping nose: his brown robes had soaked up the blood from his face…at least his jeans and shirt weren't stained…

With the pain starting to ease, Remus began to walk down the road, trying not to limp as he felt the cool breeze. Just a few more minutes and he'd be home.

* * *

"Remus dear, is that you?" called his mother, her voice sweet and caring as always.

Remus limped into the kitchen, slamming the front door angrily. It had only taken a few minutes for his anger to boil, but by the time he'd got home, it was serving from him like hot lava.

"I hate them!" he snarled, pulling the chair across the floor to sit on it, putting his head into his pale hands. "I hate them so much!"

"What's wrong Remus-You're bleeding?!"

"Yes, mum."

"Oh, Remus honey…" she began, and hurried around the kitchen fetching a bowl of water and some bandages. She placed them on the table and rung out a sponge. Gently, she lifted Remus' head from his hands and studied it, looking into his eyes.

"What happened this time?" she asked, as she soaked the sponge into water.

"Just some boys."

"What did they do to you?"

"Beat me."

"With what?!"

"A stick." Remus growled, shuddering at the memory which reoccurred in his mind.

"A stick?" exclaimed Mrs Lupin, her face turning stormy. "Your father will hear of this! This is ridiculous! How did they find out?"

"Katy probably told them." Remus mumbled, thinking of his only friend in the village. "We don't get along anymore." Well, ex-friend.

"Urgh!" Mrs Lupin sighed, wiping the blood from her sons face carefully. "At least you're back at Hogwarts tomorrow." She inspected Remus' face. "All clean." she smiled, her son giving her a crooked, painful grin. "Have you packed?"

"It's nearly all done." Remus mumbled, pushing his hair from his eyes.

"Go finish it, dear." Mrs Lupin told him, "Whilst I talk to your father…"

With that, Remus got up and hauled himself up the spiral stairs to his bedroom.

* * *

"Lily!"

The shout came from behind her, and the red headed girl spun around on her heels to face another girl. She was short, with long, dark brown hair, olive skin, and huge, chocolate brown eyes rimmed with mascara. She wore a bright green dress, with floral patterns on it, and wide, green shoes that made a loud sound whenever she walked.

"Giz!" Lily cried, seeing her friend. She ran to her and hugged her, feeling a serve of happiness. She hadn't seen Giz for six weeks, since she had gone back to her home country, Italy, to see her Grandparents. Giz spoke English without an accent, and her Italian was fluent and authentic sounding. Lily envied her linguistic ability, and admired her tan.

"How was Italy?" she asked, holding the girl at arm's length and assessing her jokingly. Giz blushed and pulled at a strand of her long hair.

"It was eventful…" she mumbled, with a wink.

"TELL ME!" Lily wined, her voice going higher with excitement. "You must tell me!"

"Well, I have…a boyfriend!" Giz exclaimed, engulfing Lily in a huge hug. Even though Giz was only five foot two, she was strong and noticeable- mainly because of her good looks and loud voice. She squealed with delight and glanced around the platform, looking for other friends she could share her news with. She grabbed her large trunk marked 'G. ' and beckoned Lily to follow her. Lily quickly rushed to say good bye to her parents, who were drinking in the scene of wizardry, which was far from unnoticeable at the station of nine and three quarters. Hugging them and giving them a quick kiss, she waved and ran off to catch up with Giz.

"Your sisters not here then?" Giz asked, showering the crowds of people with a critical look.

"No." Lily sighed, flicking her long red hair from her freckled face. "She didn't want to say good-by to me this year. Still thinks I'm a freak, as always…"

"I think she needs to get over it!" huffed Giz, moving faster through the dense crowds of people. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and waved in the distance. "It's Kit."

Kit moved towards them, with a small but cute smile plastered to her pale face. Her long, ginger hair fell just to her waist, and had a slight wave to it, clashing with her red jacket. Her flared jeans (this is the seventies, remember?) were dark blue and had a splatter of mud up the side from where she lived on a farm. She embraced both of the girls with a huge hug. She dwarfed Giz easily, and she was a few inches taller than Lily, who was five foot six. She smiled.

"I've missed you!" she said, as her parents came wandering over to them. Mrs Llewellyn-Jones was a small, pretty lady with blonde hair down to her waist and a motherly air around her, whilst Kit's father was a tall, slightly imposing man with carrot coloured hair (though his daughters was more of a dark red) and huge blue eyes. Kit tenderly kissed both of them before leaving them to walk with her friends. "Who are we looking for?" she asked.

"Anyone." Lily explained simply, mirroring Kit's confused expression. Suddenly, Giz squealed and turned around.

"Kit….I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"

Several of the other families turned around to glare at the sixth year student, who was now bouncing up and down.

"Congratulations Gizzy!" Kit blurred, dodging another one of Giz's hugs. Kit wasn't the one to be hugged a lot, and Lily knew that. Giz, on the other hand, never remembered. As though it had never occurred, Giz ran ahead to find others, wheeling her luggage behind her.

"We'll be on the train!" called Lily, as loud as she could. Giz gave a thumb up before turning the corner.

* * *

"Sirius!"

James made his way into the compartment, his eyes wide and his face delighted. He hadn't seen his friend since he bid him and his family fare well during the last few weeks of summer: Sirius went to go live with his Uncle for a little while, giving the time the Potters needed, to go on holiday.

"Prongs!" Sirius yelled, and launched himself at his best friend, whose face was clear of boy-hood spots. James' hair still stuck up at odd angles, and his glasses were askew as usual, giving him an 'i-don't-care' look that the girls loved. He was wearing a simple shirt and jeans, with converse and a jacket slung over his shoulder, with his school robes in a plastic bag, hanging from his hands.

"How are you?" James asked as they both sat down, looking out of the window was the trains started to move.

"I'm good mate! My Uncle was understanding, and has given me some money to put into a volt at Gringots so I can get a motorbike! You'll have to help me tweak it when he gets it for me. He's gonna send it to Hogwarts at Christmas."

"Awesome!" James huffed, running a hand through his hair to make it stick up more, and glanced at Sirius. He hadn't changed much.

His wavy dark hair was still just above shoulder length, and his eyes were grey and lively. He wore a pair of scruffy old blue jeans with a black t-shirt, a leather jacket thrown on top: this made up Sirius' usual 'bad-boy' attire mixed with an odd elegance the girls loved and swooned over. He was still taller than James, at six foot, as James had only just reached five foot ten over the summer.

Sirius frowned.

"Where's Moony and Wormtail?" he thought aloud, and James shrugged.

"Not sure, really." He replied. "Maybe we should find them. I'll look for Pete, he's easier." James winked, and got up, heading to the door.

"Awwww, but Moony's really hard to fiiind!" Sirius wined jokingly, and he got up to, leaving the compartment to search for their friends.

* * *

"Remus?"

The boy straightened up, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears. He wiped them away carelessly and looked through his hair at his best friend. Sirius stood there, arms folded, smiling at him. The smile was small and gentle, but it was a smile anyway. He sat down next to Remus, and pulled his body closer to his into a hug, and ruffled his hair.

"So…?" Sirius began, releasing Remus. "What's wrong?"

Remus blinked.

"Well…I…I just…"

"Spit it out, mate."

"I don't know! I'm just upset over nothing, I guess. Like always."

"Hush, Moony!" Sirius said, frowning. "It can't just be nothing…"

"Fine!" Remus snapped, "I'm tired and I nearly mauled a man during the last full moon! My friend in my village now hates me! I got beaten up! My parents are getting more and more worried about me…and I can't help it!"

Sirius took a deep breath.

"All of that?" he asked, taken back. "I see why you're upset. Well, if the 'friend' really was a friend, you'd still BE friends, wouldn't you? So, that's nothing…and the man's alive, isn't he?"

Remus nodded.

"And if you can't help your parents, then don't worry about them!" Sirius said. "Simple! Just…calm down, mate, yeah? You're always so stressed."

"I know, I know…"

Sirius let out a long laugh, patting Remus on the shoulders.

Sirius looked at Remus. He hadn't changed much since their last meeting. His hair was shaggy and light brown, but it was greasy as the full moon was soon. His skin was pale but smooth, and his wide eyes were still the same shade of green they were last year. He wore a tattered shirt and jumper, with a clean pair of pressed jeans and his red converse were on the floor by the door. He had obviously had enough of wearing shoes and curled up without them.

"Let's go see if James has found Wormtail." Sirius mumbled, helping Remus up and flicking the shoes at his friend by magic. Remus caught them and put them on, hopping out of the door to do his laces as they walked down the carriage.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- The Return to Hogwarts

The hot fire whisky burned in his chest as he sat down, flicking his hair from his face. The common room was getting more and more crowded, and the sofa was getting more and more hard the longer he sat in it.

"Remus!"

He looked up.

It was Longbottom, a round faced, clever boy in the seventh year. He had guided Remus through numerous tasks around the school when he had been prefect, and had helped Remus when he took his role a few years later.

"Hi."

"How are you?" Longbottom asked, sitting down next to him, making the sofa crowded. Several of the fifth year girls, who were cooing over Sirius, tutted angrily, and glared at Remus and the seventh year.

"I'm…tired, you?"

"Yeah, I know how you feel."

Laughter erupted from Longbottom's friends in the corner. "I better go, Remus, let me know if you need anything."

"I will…" Remus mumbled as Longbottom walked away, crossing his arms and leaning further back into the sofa. He clutched the fire whisky bottle hard, making his knuckles whiten as he turned to Sirius, covered in girls.

Remus' handsome friend pushed the girls off, casually flirting with just one of them- the fifth year by the name of Josephine. Remus had to admit, the girl was pretty with her long, curly brown hair and huge, bambi brown eyes…yet she was almost insufferable to hold a conversation with! Remus edged closer to Sirius, who was wiping his mouth and blushing viciously.

"Girls, Sirius?" he asked lightly, with a small wink. Sirius sighed heavily and groaned.

"They won't leave me alone, mate!"

"Ha! But you only made them leave once you saw-"

"Saw what, Moony?"

Remus turned red, his tongue freezing and he just stared. He couldn't finish the rest of the sentence, that was sure, and he sipped from his bottle. He didn't know why seeing Sirius with so many girls made him so…angry. He shrugged of the thought, returning to glare at his best friend.

"Once you saw someone you like." Remus muttered. "It always happens."

"You're an amazing observer Moony, with a mind of a mad man if you were concentrating on that instead of the hot female arse in front of you."

Remus sighed as Sirius laughed lightly. He pated Remus on the back gently, and his friend winced and went pale.

"Furry problem?" Sirius guessed, thinking he had patted a new scar from the last transformation. Remus turned grey and shook his head.

"I…we'll talk of it later, okay?" he rolled his shoulders. "Now, let's go get some more Fire Whisky from Rosmerta…"

"Or better." began James, who had just heard the words 'fire whisky'. He was followed by Kit and another girl, who were gossiping with their heads together as they say down on the sofa. Someone would have to move soon, otherwise Remus was going to end up over the floor in an angry, squished mess. "We can just get that squirt in the third year to get it for us. His dad helps Rosmerta out with the pub." James took a deep breath. "LORTON! CLARENCE LORTON!?"

A small, blonde boy came running to James, his head help high. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw Lily roll her eyes in disgust and wander up to bed: it was obvious she watched everything that James did, waiting for something bad so she could correct it…or, in a weird twist of fate, Remus thought, she may watch James because she looks for a reason to praise him…Hell would have frozen over when that day came.

"Lorton, will you get us some Fire Whisky and give your dad three sickles?" James pushed the money into the boys hand and gave him a smile. The boy nodded eagerly and set off, giving the Marauders a thumbs up before leaving the common room.

* * *

"Wake up." Remus snapped at James, who was asleep on the sofa holding a bottle of Fire Whisky. He was pale and had deep bags under his eyes. Remus nudged him, but his friend didn't move. He turned to Peter, who was groggily waking up on the floor.

"Mornin'." he yawned, getting up. "I'm g-going to go get changed..." Peter got up, his fat wobbling, which made Remus gag, and the short, fat blond boy walked up the stairs to the boys dorm.

Remus turned to Sirius. He looked so angelic asleep, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes shut, his dark hair a mess. He was curled up in one of the armchairs by the fire, holding a flask of coffee. Remus knelt down and shook his best friend. Slowly, Sirius opened his eyes and looked at the young werewolf. He smiled warmly and sat up, stretching.

"Thanks Moony." he said, his voice dripping with tiredness. He rubbed his eyes, and got up. Sirius, without another word, he walked up to the dormitory to get changed for their first day as sixth years.

* * *

Her uniform was worn as short as possible, her grey pleated skirt half way up her thigh, and her blouse undone to the third button or more, and her tie completely absent. She strutted over to the Marauders and sat next to Sirius.

Bitch! Remus thought, and had to engage himself in conversation before he lost the plot. Sirius wasn't interested in you last year, he thought bitterly, so go swagger off and pluck your already too thin eyebrows!

Sirius sneered at her, turning the expression into a smile quickly before shooting a quick glance at James.

"Louisa," came a strong voice, "I suggest you get out of my seat and go torture some other poor, undeserving soul whilst you can, otherwise, I shall personally remove you myself."

It was Giz, small but mighty as she pushed the Hufflepuff Louisa off her seat and sat down herself, holding her wand and a small capsule of lip-gloss of a natural colour. Kit came trotting down after her, followed by Storm.

Storm frowned carefully, keeping her mouth sealed. Kit was actually being friendly to Giz, not just civil, as she always was. She thought of it as weird, and it made her uncomfortable…she didn't like Giz, and Giz didn't really like her, but Kit had always been her best friend. Kit wasn't ignoring Storm, but something wasn't quite right…

Storm sighed and grimaced at Remus, who sat over the other side of the long table.

"It's going to be a long day." She sighed. Remus let out a small laugh.

"You didn't need your Seer blood to tell me that." he grumbled with a small smile, and poured himself some juice. He hadn't seen Storm since last year. She was a quiet, odd girl, with pure white hair, pale skin, and blue-purple eyes that always seemed to stare, which unnerved people. She was a seer, meaning she could see into the future. Her power only flared up every once in a while, usually if the future involved some horrible disaster that other could not foresee.

"No, I didn't." she smirked slowly, adjusting her red and gold striped tie. "So, did you see anyone over the summer?" Her voice was quiet, gentle, and was easy for Remus to hear- being a werewolf had made him have good senses.

"No, not really." Remus muttered, rolling his shoulders calmly and looking over at James and Sirius. "I didn't see anyone except my cousin. My mum's been ill, so I have been looking after her…what about you?"

Storm cleared her throat.

"Nothing much, really. I saw Kit, went to London with Ophelia…"

"Talking of Phee, where is she?" asked Remus, his brow furrowed. He hadn't seen half of the girls in his year, not on the train or in the common room…

"They've been up in the dorm since they arrived." Storm muttered, grabbing a piece of toast form the rack in the middle of the long Gryffindor table. "Kit and Giz have been hanging out…Lily keeps talking to that Ravenclaw…Y'know, that girl Lisabet talks to as well…."

"What, Calandra Smutty?" Remus asked, confused.

"No!" snapped Storm, "Calandra's the Ravenclaw Seeker…Emma! Emma O'Hare, that's it!"

"Lily talks to Emma O'Hare?" Remus asked, his eyes wide. "She was my library buddy in our first year…"

"Yeah yeah, whatever….but Lily's hanging around with her and Calandra a lot. It's really odd…"

"Maybe she's making more friends outside her house?" suggested Remus, "I mean, it's good to have friends outside of Gryffindor. I'm friends with some Ravenclaws, a few Hufflepuffs, and a Slytherin."

"What?!" Storm laughed lightly, the first time in ages Remus had seen her laugh. "Name them!"

"Well, I'm friends with Emma, Rylla Wattington, John Rotwell…they're in Ravenclaw! And Iona Grey, Cy Luttly…Martha Toneswell-Rhones…"

"Hufflepuffs?" Storm ventured. "I only know because Cy's the Keeper for Hufflepuff! He's soooo useless, y'know…I can beat him with my eyes closed."

"That's because you're a great Keeper, Storm, Cy's average, I'm sure." Muttered Remus slowly, still thinking. "Oh, and the Slytherin?"

"Yeaaah…?"

"Fay Jones."

"Oh, her." Storm said.

"Yes, her." Remus reported, frowning. "She's nice, you know."

"She hangs around with Snape, and no one else."

"She's really nice!"

"Whatever Remus." Storm said, and went back to eating her toast.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- Fay Jones and the New Girl

I watched carefully as the new girl was welcomed into Hogwarts by Dumbledore. The huge entrance hall doors creaked slowly shut as she shivered, her eyes glued to the headmaster in an almost creepy way. Professor McGonagall stood by Dumbledore, her emerald green hat perched on her head like a giant bird on a nest.

I kept behind the pillar, my wand gripped in my hand. The girl was tall, skinny, and had pale blonde hair. She wore a plain set on wizard robes, over a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and she played with her wand in her long, white hands.

"Frida, if you'll follow me…" said McGonagall, and she lead her down the corridor I was hiding in.

I stepped out quickly, and bent down, pretending to tie my shoelace.

"Ah! Miss Jones!"

I rolled my eyes and looked up to see the teacher and the new girl looking at me intensely. Or, the girl was, McGonagall just seemed to glare at me, as always.

"Yes, Professor?" I said, smiling politely. I hated McGonagall with all my passion, but I had to be pleasant to her, otherwise, my mother would hate me. My mother was an annoying, Hogwarts loving Witch whose main goal in life was to destroy her children's social life and make them do well in school, regardless of the consequences. My brother Luke, and my younger sister Jane, also felt this way, though they always seemed to be my mother's favourite children. My mother hated me because, although I carried her brains, I had my father's blonde hair and outlook on life. Sly, determined, but caring, my father was almost exactly like me- or I was exactly like my father.

"Jones, I want you to escort Miss Helgurson to the Great Hall. She's been sorted into Gryffindor, and she needs to be shown around. I'm sure your cousin can help with that."

My cousin was Kit Jones. We shared a last name (kind of, she was Llewellyn-Jones) and one direct family member- we talked occasionally, we went to the same 'must go to' parties, but other than that, we were not in each other's lives. To me, it wasn't even remotely sad, but she did mention to me on odd occasions that we should talk more. Like my usual self, I ignored her.

"Of course, Professor." I mumbled, glancing at the new girl. McGonagall nodded sharply, turned on her heels, and walked down the corridor, presumably to her office.

The silence was strangling.

"So…" I began, fiddling with my green and silver tie. "You've been sorted into Gryffindor…"

"Yes." said the girl, looking at me as we walked slowly to the Great Hall. "I am very excited."

Her accent…it was odd! I couldn't place my finger on it- or, I didn't know the accent at all!

"Where are you from?" I asked carefully, as we approached the huge, wooden doors.

"I'm from Iceland." she replied. "I have just moved here."

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll like it here." I said, and opened the doors, welcoming her to the Great Hall.

She followed me as I lead her to the Gryffindor table with great discomfort. I was given several distasteful looks as I tapped Kit on the shoulder. She was sitting next to Giselle Lorenz, the annoying, loud Italian girl, and Lily Evans, the smart red-head- the smartest girl in our year, I was sure of it.

"Kit." I snapped, "This is Frida. You're to look after her. She's in your House after all."

Kit smiled a pretty smile at the new student, and shuffled along the seat, making room for her.

"Uh, thanks Fay." Kit mumbled, "So…Frida! Come sit here…"

I walked away too quickly to see how they got on.

"What were you doing with the new Big Head?" asked Cassandra Parkinson, a pug faced girl with a solid mass of black, long hair.

My House had a name for the Gryffindor's- Big Heads. They were the house of chivalry and bravery, but some of them also tended to be obnoxious and full of themselves. I hated the main group of boys in the Gryffindor House- the Marauders, as they called themselves. The group consisted of James Potter, Quidditch 'God' and leader of the group: Sirius Black, traitor to his pure-blooded family and 'devilishly' handsome: Peter Pettigrew, the short, useless creature who worshiped the ground they walked on: and Remus Lupin, the quiet, thoughtful one of the group, once a prefect. For some odd reason, I hated the Marauders but liked Remus. He was my only (and it shall stay like that) Gryffindor friend: brave, yes, but he also was thoughtful, like a Ravenclaw, loyal, like a Hufflepuff, and sly: he could sell sour milk to a cow. But he was my friend…my Gryffindor friend.

* * *

Remus laughed as Storm's potion exploded-everywhere.

Green gunk.

Disgusting.

"Miss Griggins!" Professor Slughorn shouted as he wandered over to her table. His small, ginger moustache moved like a caterpillar as he frowned upon her work. With one smooth wave of his stubby wand, the mess was gone.

"What's wrong, Miss Llewellyn-Jones?!" Slughorn shouted across the dungeon at Kit, who's desk was bubbling and steaming. Lily, who was working with Severus Snape, was trying to sort it out for her, but it wasn't working.

He wobbled over to Kit , cleaning it up with a small swish of his wand.

James was working with Sirius, trying, without success, to make the potion turn green. In the end, they poured food colouring in it. It exploded. Again.

With a mixture of swear words, screams and groans, the class were covered in pink goo.

"Shite." Spat Remus under his breath as he turned to Fay, whose eyes were wide and her face pale.

"I think it's gonna explode." she croaked, and pulling him under the desk, they ducked as their potion, too, exploded.

"Mister Lupin! Miss Jones! What on earth-"

"Sorry, Professor, I added the fireflies in at the wrong time…" muttered Remus, arising from under the desk and peering at the smouldering cauldron. James looked over at them both, and gave Remus a wink. Fay gave him the middle finger quickly, and returned to smiling at Slughorn, her head of house. He was standing solemnly at their bench, looking at them both with a disappointed smile.

"Honestly, Mister Lupin, Miss Jones, I would have thought better of you two!" he snapped, but his face softened as they both blushed. "Come now, we'll forget about it, and…try again." With another swish of his short wand, the mess was cleared, and a new set of ingredients appeared on their desk.

Time to try again, thought Remus sourly, and flicked through his potions book.

* * *

"Wormtail, what classes are you taking this year?" asked Remus with a small frown, curious. Peter never took Potions at OWL level, so he wasn't taking potions now…

"I'm taking Herbology, Muggle Studies, Charms…Divination though I hate it, and Defence against the Dark Arts, along with Transfiguration. We have to take those…"

"I know, I know…" Remus mumbled under his breath. "I was thinking about what classes I had with you, that's all."

"And what do you have with me?" asked Peter, munching on a piece of cake. They sat at the Gryffindor table at lunch.

"Um…Muggle Studies, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration."

"And what else are you taking?" Peter asked. Remus sighed impatiently, wondering why he even bothered telling Peter anything- he'd never remember.

"Same as last year, Wormtail…Muggle Studies, Potions, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Astronomy…and then the 'must-dos'." Charms, DADA (though you didn't have to take it, most people did) and Transfiguration, Remus finished, in his head. God he was taking a lot of subjects. NEWTs were going to be hell.

"Padfoot!" exclaimed Peter as Sirius came into the Great Hall, followed by James, eagerly holding his broom and a pair of flying goggles. The ecstatic expression on his face allowed Remus to prepare himself for the babble of Quidditch that was about to come, in three, two, one…

"MOONYMOONYMOONYWORMTAAAAIL YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT!?" hissed James excited, sitting down next to Remus. "I'M QUIDDITCH CAPTAAAAIN!"

The two boys blinked in shock, and Sirius smiled at James warmly.

"ISN'T IT GREAT?!"

"Of course, Prongs." Remus muttered, with a smile. "Well done!"

"Does that mean I can try out for the Quidditch team this year Prongs?" Peter asked, and Sirius gave a little snigger as he sat down between Peter and Remus.

"You can try out, Pete." He said, "But you've got to train a lot."

Peter's face fell and he returned to his piece of cake.

* * *

"Potter is Quidditch captain?" snarled Lily lowly, her voice dark and full of anger. "Really?!"

"Yep…" muttered Kit, wiping her fiery hair from her pale, freckled face. "Quidditch is going to be interesting this year. I hope I'm still Seeker…"

"Same," whispered Storm. "I like being Keeper."

"He's so arrogant." Lily hissed disapprovingly, leaning back in her seat next to Lisabet Stradson, her friend.

"I don't get why you're winding yourself up about it." came a dark voice, from the corner.

It was Ophelia Jencks, better known as Phee. She sat on the old, red arm chair that was positioned in the corner of the common room, clutching a huge book and her knees were crossed. Her skin was flawless and pale, her eyes dark and watching. She was considered one of the most beautiful people in the year, and only the Gryffindor girls and Remus knew why…Ophelia was a vampire.

"I…urgh." Lily said, thinking. "Nor do I, really."

"Well, it's annoying!" snapped Giz, who was leaning over her homework, frowning. "Just because you don't ever get annoyed, Ophelia, doesn't mean Lily can't be annoyed at the one boy she hates on this very earth!"

Phee frowned menacingly and huffed, glaring at Giz. Lily flushed the colour of beetroot, clashing with her hair: she hated people arguing, but she did enjoy arguing herself, so she didn't say anything.

"Shut up, Ophelia." Giz spat, flicking her long dark hair.

Emotionless, Phee stood up, holding the book to her chest, and walked from the common room at a fast pace, the silence following her like a ghost.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- A Talk

His mother had called him into the kitchen, her voice sounding scratchy. She stood alone at the small, round kitchen table, her face cast in shadow. Murky light poured through the yellow, dusty curtains as her son came in. His hair stuck up at all angles, his face pale and drawn from lack of sleep, and his eyes round… yet alert. His father's eyes…

Karen stood still, fiddling with a button on her pale blue dress. How should she do this? What could she say?

Her voice came out quiet, flopping onto the unwashed floor.

"Remus, love, um... y-you have a letter."

Remus, her son, frowned, crinkling his forehead. Karen thought he looked older when he did that.

Too old.

He faced her, his hands outstretched. He took it from his mother.

"What's wrong, mum?" he asked, before opening the letter. He never really spoke to any of his family much. The only family he really ever saw was his mother, and she seemed to always be crying, or frustrated, or getting sad news, or some other non- relevant family news, the people he never saw. To see her like this was nothing new. Maybe the letter was from family…

But Remus though he should ask anyway.

"Oh it's nothing, Remus. Just open it. Go on."

Huffing, he tore open the thick, clean brown envelope. Karen knew what it said.

"Hogwarts?" the boys face was inquisitive, shocked.

"Yes, Remus."

"A school... wants me?" His voice sounded harsh and a little cold.

"Yes love!" Karen tried to sound cheerful, but she was like a bird waiting for the shooter. "Of course they do! Hogwarts accepts everyone! They'd love you."

"Would they want me after they knew the actual me?" Remus almost snarled, his eyes darkening with anger. Karen saw a flash of a wolf across his face. His face turned from confusion to anger in a split session.

"Remus, I've asked the headmaster... Professor Dumbledore. He... he's happy to let you stay at Hogwarts! He's arranged somewhere where no one else can get to for you to... um..."

"Transform. Just say it mum." Remus snarled. His temper was seeping through his usually calm self.

Karen almost wept. She rubbed her eyes slowly and spoke:

"Yes, love, um... transform. He said it would be perfectly safe for you and the people around you! I mean, you wouldn't have to tell anyone."

"They'd find out." Remus hissed.

"People can be very naive!" Karen said. She was trying desperately to make sure he said yes. She couldn't educate him forever. "It would be so nice for you!"

Remus replayed the letter in his head, closing his eyes. He could remember every word of the neat, acid green writing.

"You think about it Remus..." his mother said, now wondering around the kitchen, starting to prepare the food for dinner.

"No!" he snapped. He couldn't bear to think about it anymore. Karen's heart thumped in her ears. He was going to say no…

"I'll go! I'll go to Hogwarts! I'll go to school and let them tear me apart... I'll reply."

And he went back upstairs, leaving Karen to stand there in shock.

* * *

Remus woke in shock. Sweat drenched his face.

His mother…

Him…

A dream.

Pushing back the covers, his looked down at his pale, skinny legs. He always checked his legs after a nightmare. But it wasn't really a nightmare… just a dream.

A flashback.

With a sigh of relief for no reason what so ever, Remus pulled the covers back on, and shut his eyes, waiting for the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Giz stared at Fay Jones.

"Move." She spat.

"You move!"

"No, I want to get through-"

"So do I!" cried Fay, flicking her blonde hair from her face and scowling.

"I was here first! I have somewhere to be-"

"So do I… Your lack of intelligence seems to be showing, as you are incapable of believing that I ALSO have somewhere to be!"

Giz stepped back, slightly shocked. How dare a Slytherin say that to her?!

"Move out of the way, bitch!"

"Giz?"

It was none other than Sirius Black, marauder and prank extraordinaire. He stood by Fay, and glared down at her in distaste.

"I never understood why Remus liked you, Jones. You're so…Slytherin-ish."

"Thank you, Black," Fay snarled back, "I'll remember to pop your inflated ego when I see you next time."

With that, she stormed off the other way.

"Why didn't she go that way in the first place?" Sirius sighed with a small laugh, and they made their way up to the common room.

* * *

Storm's head snapped back, her white hair flipping into her face and her eyes wide but watery. She dropped the pencil she was holding, and stared at the paper, crumpling it with the tightness of her grip.

Kit stared at her for a moment, her heart pounding.

"Storm? What's wrong?"

Lisabet leaned forward in her seat, clutching her French book to her chest, which came from home.

"Storm?" she hissed, pushing her blonde hair form her pale face. Storm cautiously looked at her, tears staining her cheeks.

"It's happened again." She whispered lightly, no emotion present in her voice.

"W-what's happened?" Kit asked, frightful. "Is it bad?"

"He…he has struck again!" she cried, almost a whisper this time, and crushed he paper up and through it on the floor. "T-they…they're dead!"

"Who, Storm, WHO?!" Lisabet asked loudly, moving closer to Storm, who was crying wholeheartedly now.

"The Lornton's…they're dead!"

"Who killed them, Storm….?" Lisabet asked slowly, trying not to understand the words that formed in her mouth, but the realisation bought a thick hot lump to her throat.

The Seer turned to Kit and Lisabet, and shook her head.

"I…I can't say the name….s-someone powerful….angry, un-loved…he is rising to power!" She let out a small whimper and then screamed, "VOLDERMOURT!"

* * *

Clarence Lornton sat on the edge on the sofa that night, his eyes wide and watery. No one talked, just whispered under their breaths or studied. Remus sat on the other end of the sofa, with a bucket by his ankles. His head was pounding and he could feel the darkness swirling up inside him. Three hours. That's all it was until he'd change. He glanced momentarily at Clarence, who was quietly crying, and then returned to staring at the floor.

James, Sirius and Peter came into the common room, joking and laughing as always. Lily Evans shot James a dark look, and he ceased laughing, nudging Sirius and Peter too. They tiptoed around Clarence and sat around Remus.

"Mate, wanna go upstairs?" Sirius asked, and Remus nodded.

After an hour upstairs, the four boys quietly made their way down to the Great Hall under James' invisibility cloak. Their steps were light and careful as they crept around the tables and went through the large door into the Entrance Hall, where they stopped. James nudged Remus.

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

And they kept walking.

Reaching the Whomping Willow, the group let Remus slip out under the cloak and wave his wand lazily- the spell froze the vicious trees branches and stopped them getting hurt as the branches…well, went straight into anything in the way.

He signed to the others, and Remus got on his knees and crawled into the small, damp tunnel that lead to the Shrieking Shack.

With a very sudden burst of energy, Remus sprinted up the stairs, before he realised it wasn't energy- he was going to be sick. Wrenching open the door to the bedroom, he leant his head in and vomited. The boys paused a little before running up the stairs, and crowded around Remus. It was Sirius who put his hands on his shoulders and gently led him into the bedroom, stepping over the vomit. James leapt over the puddle…and Peter? He stepped into it.

Remus had forgotten how much the three boys kept his mind together- he cast his thoughts back to his first two years at Hogwarts, the small, scared boy who whispered to 'himself'- he whispered to Moony, the Wolf, the creature that inhabited him…the Marauders had helped him ignore the Wolf, tame him so much that Moony wasn't another part of him completely, they were mixed, fitting together so that Moony and Remus were one being. He owed his sanity to them, and now what did they do? Step in vomit for him.

The pain over took him, searing through every part of his body, and then the ripping began. His could hear screams scrapping out of his throat, mixed with the pure agony he felt as he heard his bones snap and length. He felt his face hit the ground, pain enlightening his whole face, and then, a wave came over him, a wave of intense pain that meant his muscles and skin were being dragged over the newly shaped bones, creating the Wolf. His toes tingled and then cracked, his hands followed, and his whole body pulsed as fur sprouted. Last was his face, elongating and then finally being covered with thick, brown fur. Enhanced senses excited him as the pain dulled, and the Wolf rose onto his hind legs. It was back again, and with a breath, the werewolf howled.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six- Hospital

"Maybe we should wake him up-?"

"Don't you dare!"

It was Madame Pomfrey, looking unusually flustered and ready to scold the three Gryffindor's. She was usually a patient woman, full of compassion for the poor werewolf whom she cared for, and she also understood how much the boys cared for him. Unlike Remus though, the three boys had a habit of not obeying the rules, especially in the hospital wing (their list of misbehaviours include turning the floor to ice when the Slytherin Quidditch team came in to visit Sirius' younger brother, and turning all the bed sheets into a greenish goo).

"I said don't wake him up, Black!" she hissed as Sirius' hand hovered over Remus' shoulder. "He needs to rest. He had a hard transformation, stress I think, and he has a nasty wound on his hip. Rest would be best for him, so leave him for a moment."

Sirius flushed pink and felt the guilt swirl in his stomach.

"Sorry, Madame Promfrey."

"It's alright, Black, you and the boys go sit on the spare bed."

James, Peter and Sirius made awkward looks at each other. Madame Pomfrey didn't know about their skill of being animagi, but she had noticed that Remus' full moons were less of a bloody mess: they were still gruesome, but Remus seemed somewhat calmer before and after them. Sirius smiled a little to himself as he thought of Remus actually enjoying a full moon- or, Moony enjoying a full moon. It was true though, he thought: Moony liked having Prongs, Wormtail and Padfoot around! Sirius could feel his want to grow a tail at the precise point, but fought back the urge.

"You alright, Padfoot?" James asked, ruffling his black hair a little and rubbing a patch where his antlers had grown out a few hours ago.

"Of course, Prongs." Sirius replied with a slight cheeky smile, and Peter suddenly squeaked with excitement.

"He's awake!" he gasped, and the clambered around their friend's bed. Sirius was positioned at Remus' head, James by the foot of his bed, and Peter sitting on the uncomfortable chair by James, clutching chocolate from Honeydukes. It was a well-known fact among the whole of the year that Remus Lupin loved chocolate, but the Marauders knew that Post-Moon Remus loved chocolate even more than Non-Moon Remus.

The pale boy stirred slowly and opened his eyes: Sirius saw the way he gripped at the bed sheets, indicating he was in pain, and gradually Remus' face scrunched up.

"Oweee." he moaned quietly, as his muscles flexed. "Moony hurt."

Sirius gently helped Remus up into a sitting position, and brushed the boy's tawny hair out of his eyes.

"You okay, Moony?"

The boy's face was still scrunched up.

"No, Moony hurt!"

His voice was slightly higher pitched than his usual voice, and his eyes were wide. There was something in his facial expression that indicated to his friends that he was in a child-like state of mind, like every time after the full moon. James smiled at Sirius in pity, knowing it was Sirius that was effected most by this (Remus clutched to Sirius more than the other Marauders when he was Post-Moon Moony), and Peter just looked uncomfortable.

Remus opened his arms up and kept opening and shutting his hands up, like a small child wanting to be picked up, motioning to Sirius. The boy felt sorrow well up in his chest, and opened his arms.

Remus, the sixteen year old boy, curled up into Sirius, looking up through his fringe and smiling widely before shifting his weight.

"Moony hurt."

"I know, Moony, it's okay. It'll go away soon." Sirius said simply, trying not to confuse Remus in his child-like state. James saw his queue to help Sirius out a little: grabbed a handful of chocolate from Peter's lap and put it on the bed. Remus' eyes lit up a little and he reached out to grab one. Sirius felt the boy's body tense up in pain, and pulled him closer into his hug.

"No Moony. I'll get it for you."

"Padfoot get it for me?"

"Yes, Moony." Sirius said, reaching for the chocolate. "Padfoot'll get it."

He handed a chocolate to Remus, who slowly unwrapped it and shoved it into his mouth in a toddler-ish manner, before chewing briefly and swallowing.

"I don't know how he doesn't get indigestion." Peter mumbled quietly, looking at Remus with pure pity in his small eyes.

"I never got indigestion as a kid, and I was like Moony." James said, making Peter laugh a little, but Sirius scowled, his face stony.

"It's not funny he's like this." he said, his voice low with hints of anger. "Not his fault at all."

"We know, Padfoot." James said, his voice edging on kindness that Peter had rarely seen. "We weren't taking the piss, honest." Peter frowned a little. James would have usually ripped Sirius to shreds when it came to defending himself, and Sirius would have shredded James too if it was the other way round, but this time, it was different. Whether it was the fact that James was tired from turning into the stag, or that he noticed Sirius' growing affection for Remus, Peter didn't know what it was…

Remus pushed more chocolate into his mouth.

"Moony feel sick." he said, turning slightly green. Within seconds, he'd vomited over the floor, and Sirius fought back the urge to laugh. He accio'd the mop to his hands, and handed it to Peter.

"There you go Wormtail. It'll give you something to do whilst James and I clean up Moony."

"Bastard." Peter huffed under his breath, hoping Sirius hadn't heard, and began mopping up the werewolf's puke.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven- After the Moon

"Remus, buddy?"

Remus could hear James' voice, scuttling in and out of his brain like a rat in a room full of holes…rat…Wormtail…full moon…friends…

"FULL MOON!"

He was vaguely aware that someone screamed, and then that it was his own voice, but he still looked around widely, trying to convince himself otherwise. Sirius hurried over to his bed and sat on the edge, his face pale with worry.

"Are you alright, mate?" he asked quietly, studying Remus with intensely grey eyes.

"O-of course." Remus said slowly, unsure of himself. "I…I just realised it had been the full moon."

"Yeah, it had." came Peter's voice, squeaky. "It was a good one, though."

Remus felt his bones and muscles protest that it hadn't been a good full moon, but he shook the thought away.

"Are you guys alright?" Remus asked.

"Of course." said James, running his hands through his hair and leaning on the bed post of Sirius' bed, which was next to Remus'. He was wearing his Quidditch robes, and Remus wondered what he'd missed whilst he was asleep… "We're always okay, Moony. I think you're getting used to us now. You know, recognise us straight away."

"Although you still try to eat me." hissed Peter quietly, but Remus could hear. He shot him a dark look, which the others didn't see, and Peter mouthed an apology quickly before returning to his essay he had on his lap.

"I'm sure I've been doing that for a while…recognising you, that is."

"Oh yeah, you have," Sirius said, "but it usually takes you a while." He moved inches closer to Remus, who sighed and just wanted to lean on him. His body ached so much, and his eyes threatened to close.

"Moony, why don't you sleep?" James mumbled, looking concerned. Sirius nodded in agreement, and fluffed the boy's pillow for him.

"If you insist…" Remus huffed, and leaned back into his bed, pulling the covers back over him. "'Night."

"Goodnight Moony."

* * *

The hands were soft that were waking him, and Remus momentarily wondered who it could be before common sense kicked in- Sirius was always the one who'd wake him up if he overslept.

"Moony, you need to get up, mate." came his voice. "You'll be late for class."

"Idunwannagetupp."

"Moony, c'mon."

"Nuuuuh!Idunwannagetupp! Goway."

"No, mate. Get up now, of I will be forced to tickle you."

Before Remus could even reply, he felt Sirius' warm hands spread over his stomach and an irritable but not ignorable sensation came over him- tickling.

"No! No! Have mercy!" Remus screamed childishly as Sirius laughed. "Please!"

"Get up then!" Sirius said with a cheeky grin, and slowly stopped tickling the werewolf, who was flushed with laughter and lack of breath. He looked undignified, spread out across his bed with his clothes a mess, his hair sticking up at odd angles from a worried sleep.

Remus got up and pulled his school clothes from his trunk, grabbing his wand and the bandages that lay on his bedside table, and went to the bathroom.

"Let me know if you need any help with the bandages, Moony." Sirius called out as the door slammed, and Remus' muffled reply was an 'okay'. Sirius sat down on his bed, adjusting his red and gold tie a little out of boredom. He ruffled up his brown, wavy hair, but then tried to make it stay down…it never really knew what it was doing, Sirius thought, regarding his hair. It's not as messy as James', but not as neat as Peters.

He heard the taps run, and then shut off again with a loud moan of pain.

"Moony?"

"I need some help."

Without another word, Sirius unlocked the bathroom door with his wand, and was suddenly blinded by bright, yellow, unflattering light. Remus stood in the very middle of the large, tiled bathroom, with a towel clutched around his thin body.

"I can't get at it without straining other parts of my body." Remus sniffed, feeling ridiculous. Sirius' face was his usual, slightly cocky smile, but this time it was tinged with sadness. He moved closer to Remus and took the bandages from his hands, unravelling them and then looking at Remus.

"Um, just look at my body. It's obvious where you need to bandage, Padfoot." he said with a touch of coldness, and then he blushed a deep pink. "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit grouchy. Full moon and that."

"It's alright Moony." Sirius replied, and looked down at the large gash on the boy's hip. It was an angry dark red, the edges sore and peeling, with the other skin around it bruised and blue-ish, tinged with yellow and green. He gently wrapped Remus' small hips with a white cloth before keeping it in place with a plaster. Remus laughed a little at Sirius' awkwardness with the disinfectant.

"You put that on before you put on the bandage, Padfoot. It's too late now, you silly mutt." His voice was kind, if not slightly tired, and Sirius apologised casually before embracing the werewolf in a tight hug. "Sirius, let go, you're hurting me. And I haven't got a shirt on." Sirius quickly let go, going red with embarrassment, and headed for the door. "Thank you, Padfoot." Remus mumbled.

"Anytime, Moony." Sirius said simply, and shut the door.

* * *

"Potter! You need to set a time for the new auditions!"

It was Erin Cole, a small girl in Gryffindor, who was standing on the Quidditch Pitch, broom in hand and blonde hair whipping around her face. James stifled his anger and turned on the spot to face her.

"Yeah, of course, Cole. Just give me time to actually arrange it, yeah?" he replied sourly, running a hand through his black hair and adjusting his glasses. Other members of the old team were arriving at the pitch now, including Kit and Storm, Seeker and Keeper respectively.

"I guess Clarence Lornton won't be playing?" Kit asked as she walked towards James, pushing her dark red hair from her face and gripping tighter on her wand. "You know, since his parent's death and stuff…?"

"He's talked to Remus about it, who's told me he said he won't be playing Beater, and will probably not come back until the last term."

"So we'll-"

"I'll, Cole." James snapped, feeling his temper rise up. Stay calm, he heard Remus' voice say. She'll back off if you're stern but nice. Kill her with kindness. "I will audition a new beater, and we also need another Chaser, as Russell Crown has backed out this year to focus on his NEWTs."

"Oh right." Cole said simply, fastening up her robe.

"I'll put up a few posters about the try outs, 'kay? I'll think of a convenient date."

And with a swift nod at the other members of the remaining team, and left as quickly as he could up to the castle.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight- Sirius Has A Strop

"Prongs, you need to do the posters."

It was Remus saying it, curled up on his bed with a book under his nose. He looked up, concerned, at James, who was sitting on his own bed cross-legged, reading a magazine. Sirius was on his own bed, pouring over a Charms essay, while Peter was munching on a chocolate bar whilst looking at the Map.

The Map was a creation the boys had been working on since their second year, when Remus had been given red ink that disappeared and appeared at the touch of a wand for Christmas from Sirius. They had the idea that they needed to pass on their…mischievousness, so they had created a map with all the secret passageways. In their fifth year, James had discovered a way of putting people onto the map, so you could see where they were. The Map was an incredibly helpful piece of…equipment for the Marauders pranks: they could see if a teacher was coming, or if the person they wanted to prank was anywhere near the prank itself.

"I need to do the posters?"

"Yes, Prongs!" Remus sighed. It had been a week since he'd talked to the Quidditch team. "The first game is coming up at Christmas and you haven't even got a whole team!"

James' face went white in realisation, and he leapt up from his bed and landed on the floor in a messy heap. A small groan of pain escaped his lips, and he pulled himself up from the floor.

"Argh!" he moaned. "I…oh Merlin's pants!" He cursed under his breath. "Argh…Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail, can you help?"

Sirius looked up from his essay and shook his head.

"Got an essay to do, mate."

That left Remus and Peter.

"Oh course, Prongs." Remus said, climbing off his bed and walking over to James' bed. James sat down on the edge, while Remus pulled a cushion off his friends bed and sat on the floor.

He accioed paper and pens towards him, stretching his fingers, and he picked up a bright red.

"So, what do you want it to say?"

James scrunched up his face a little in thought.

"Um…"

"What about GRYFFINDOR BEATER AND CHASER WANTED?" suggested Peter lamely, not looking up from the map.

"I'll put that." Remus said before the other two boys could protest, and wrote on the paper neatly, looking smug. He drew a broomstick onto it, and held it up for James to see. He looked as though someone had just ripped his stomach out through his eyes.

"Um…Moony, why don't you let me do it with my wand…."

Remus laughed a little and screwed up the piece of paper and chucked it at Sirius, who was still doing his essay. The boy grumbled and threw it back at Remus, who didn't manage to duck: it hit him square in the nose.

"Owch."

"Don't do bad art work then."

"Padfoot." snapped Remus, sensing Sirius' touchy tone. What was wrong with him?

"Shut it, Moony." Sirius spat, his face stormy. Remus felt his cheeks flush and his palms went sweaty. Why was Sirius suddenly angry with him?!

"Sirius, what's wrong?" Remus asked, rolling his shoulders. "You don't have to snap at me."

Sirius got up and headed for the door, his face red. His body seemed stiff with fury: Remus stood up to follow him.

"F**k off, Remus." He snapped, the anger in Sirius' voice almost cutting Remus in half, and the dormitory door was shut in his face.


End file.
